Axle transmission for railway-cars



E. G; SMITH.

AxL'E TRANSMISSION FoII RAILWAY cAIIs.

APPLICATION FILED 0150.31, ISZO.

1,379,055-, Patented May 24,1921.

wi, A

40 x5. my.

UNITEDl STATES EUGENE Gr. SMITH, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

AXLE TRANSMISSION 'FOR RAILWAY-CARS.

Specification of Letta-rs Patent.

Patented May 24, 1921.

Application filed December 31, 1920. Serial No. 434,201.

To @ZZ whom i may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE G. SMITH, a, citizen of the United States of America, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Axle Transmission for Railway-Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in axle transmission for railway cars to gencrate electricity, or otherwise, and the principal objects of my improvement are,

First, to provide a power transmission wheel preferably of the pulley type, or otherwise, adapted to meet a great number of conditions as to flexibility between the. driving and driven members, particularly for use in axle-generation of electricity for railway car lighting, or otherwise;

Second, the provision of improved means adopted to be operatively mounted on any size car axle;

Third, to produce a construction whereby to lubricate the wear parts through spokes that are hollow and serve to carry and distribute lubricating substance; j

Fourth, the production of a structure of few parts and a wide range of utility; and,

Fifth, to afford a practical construction capable of being installed and demounted in a comparatively short period of time.

With the above and other related objects in view, my invention consists in the novel features and in the novel combination and arrangement of parts hereinafterfully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specication, and particularly pointed out in the claims hereunto appended; it being understood that changes, variations and modifications in the details of the invention within the scope of the claims, may be resorted to without departing from or sacrificing any of the advantages thereof.v

In the drawings,

Figure 1, is side elevation of my improvement, assembled and applied to a railway car, Y

Fig. 2, is a central sectional view of a demountable drive-wheel of the pulley-type kand hub-means for attaching and detaching said drive-wheel to and from the railway axle Fig. 3 is a cross section of the drive-wheel on line 3--3 in Fig. 2, with parts 1n elevation tnd with flexibility illustrated by dotted mes, l f

Fig..4 is a perspective of a fixed member of a half of the hub, there being two of such members,

Fig. 5 is a similar view of a movable clamp membery of said hub, there being two of such clamp members.

Slmilar numerals and lettersrefer to like parts throughout the several views.

In the embodiment toexemplify my invention, I employ a flexible wheel preferably o f the pulley type, but I do not intend to limit my invention to the use of a pulley type ofdrive-wheel, as the fellies of the wheel may be made to carry for example, a spur gear meshing with an elongated pinion. thus making it a positive drive instead of a belt drive, by omitting the belt-tighting device, changes which would occur to rnechanics skilled in this art.

`F or a more detailed description, 6 designates the body of a railway car, 7 denotes an electric generator which is fixed to the car in any desired manner, 8 indicates a pulley wheel which is fixed to the armature shaft 9 of the generator 7.

The belt-tighting devicek maybe of any preferred construction as herein the arm 10 is pivoted at 11 to the generator supporting frame 12, and carried flanged wheel 13, which is in operative connection with the flexible drive-wheel 14, by belt 15, all hereinafter more fully described. 4The yshafting 16 carried a compression spring 17, which constantly urges the arm 10 and its flanged wheel v13 against the belt 15 sufficiently to takeV vup any slack that from any cause arises.

VOnly' one car wheel 18, of one of the railwayV trucks is shown. In practice, the axle nearest the center of the car is used to which to attach the flexible drive-wheel for generating purposes. r

The detachable flexible ydrive-wheel 14, preferably is composed of a link comprising. two fixed members 19, 20, just alike, a description of one is a description of both, and

two movable clamp members, 21 and 22, both alike. The fixed members, 19, 20, are riveted together at'23, 24, through lugs 25, 26,

and are formed externally with bosses 27, v

which are threaded to receive long machine screws 28, and provided with lock nuts 29. Each part 19, 20, is formed with a half bearing 30, 3l. Each part 2l, 22, is formed with longitudinal corrugations, 32 on its concave surface and on its convex surface with trunnion 33. Each part 19, 20, is recessed is `formed with a path of travel .for the belt l5. i

Because ,ot the lack or uniformity in the diameters of the different ailway car axles A, l have providedthe movable `parts 2l, 22, and their environment.

In order to provide sufficient [flexibility of the drive-wheel 14;, ll have produced the structure herein `which requires means for some rotation oil each spoke at both ends and corresponding journal bearings, with simple means for lubrication oi' the wearing parts. Therefore, preferably, l employ a plurality of spokes 40, 'ireierably hollow, but not limited thereto. The spokes l() are alike and the description of one spoke is a description or all spokes inthe structure. Each end of each spoke is provided with a plug Lll, a bushing a2, a longitudinal oil aperture 4:3, oil exits Llei, and pin 4:5, and-intermediate. ends of each spoke 0, there is a. threaded plug lr6 for oil or grease intake. Preferably there is used a quantity of absorbent material fl. i

The drive-wheel Ll is provided with external annular flanges l5, 49, between which the belt l5 travels.

The construction and operation of my invention is thought to be so simple that on reference to the drawings taken in connection with the foregoing description, those skilled in this art will readily be able to make and operate my invention. i j

By thus showing and specilically describing `the embodiment herein ot my invention, l do not intend to restrict 'the range of equivalents more than is made necessary by the prior state of this art. y

Having thus fully described my invention, what l claim as new and desire to' secure by LettersPatent, isj i l. ln mechanism or the class described, the combination with a railway car axle,

`or a driving wheel having a hub, means to rigidly secure said hub to said axle, a plurality of fellies, telly-plates formed with bearings fixed to the contiguous ends of said iellies, the peripheries oi said fellies boing formed with an external annular recess, and a plurality ci hollow spokes journaled at their inner ends in said `hub and at their outer ends in the bearings of said liellyplates. v

2. In mechanism of the class described, the combination with a car axle, of a driving wheel having a hub, means to rigidly secure said hub to said axle, a plurality of iliellies, telly-plates formed with bearings iixedto the contiguous ends of said ii-ellies, the periphery of said 'ellies being formed with belt-retaining external annular flanges, and a plurality oiispokes journaled at their inner ends in said hub and at their outer ends in the bearings carried by said tellyplates, said spokes being formed to afford meansto carry lubricant for ends of said spokes.

3. ln mechanism et' the class described, the combination with a car axle, a generator and power transmission connection between the axle and the generator. .oli a drive-wheel having a demountable hub, means to lix the hub to the axle, and spokes or said drive-wheel being capable oi' some rotation at both ends thereof. j

Ll. In mechanism oi the class described, a drive-wheel having' a demountable hub, anda plurality of hollow spokes adapted lfor rotation relative to the hub.

In mechanism or the class described, the combination with a driven member and a driving member in power ransmission relation to each other the driving member including a car axle, a demountable hub rigidly lixed to the axle, a plurality ot ellies,

telly-plates iormed with journal bearings ii'xed to the contiguousends oi' the ifellies, and a plurality of spokes journaled at their inner ends in said hub, and at their outer ends inthe bearings carried by said tellyplates.

(l. In mechanism of the class described, the combination with a driven member and a driving member in power `transmission relation to each other, the driving member including a car axle, a demountable hub rig- Y idly fixedv to the axle, a plurality of liellies, il'elly-plates i'ormed with journal bearings fixed to the contiguous ends or the fellies, and a plurality oli' spokes journaled at their inner ends in said hub, and journaled at their outer ends in the bearings carried by .said'ielly-plates, and a belt-tightening device.

ln testimony whereof I ailix my signature.

EUGENE G. SMITH. 

